A Forbidden Love, A Hidden Past
by Switch Kent
Summary: Severus sank into his chair and heaved a sigh of relief. Of course he was still angry that Harry saw bits of his past, but at least he hadn’t seen what happened afterward. At least he hadn’t seen when he met her.
1. Chapter 1

(A.I.: Yes, the war is over. And thanks to Rosemary the Rubix Cube, I'm going to only add a few explanations here and there throughout the story.  
This is just a Fanfic that I came up with after reading the part with Snape's past in the Fifth book. After reading it I felt so bad for the guy,  
so I started listening to some music and this idea just came to me. I  
couldn't do it during the sixth year because that's when I'm having the 'war' between the Death Eaters and the Auror's happen, so I skipped to the seventh year. So I hope you guys enjoy it and I'll try to stick to Harry Potter as much as I can, but sadly, Harry isn't really a main character,  
He'll just pop in and out. The story is actually about Snape and a new Professor I'm adding. And on a final note, Harry Potter and everyone in it belongs to J.K. Rowling, so don't sue, because I have no money worth suing  
me for. :D)  
  
A Forgotten Love, A Hidden Past  
  
Chapter One  
  
Harry Potter was entering his seventh year at Hogwarts, and was dreading every single moment. He didn't want this to be it. He didn't want this to be his last year. There were so many reasons why, such as the N.E.W.T.'s tests, having to return to the Dursley's, but most of all, Hogwarts felt like his home, his only home, and he didn't want to have to leave. But there were some good parts to going back to Hogwarts this year too. The war was over, Voldermort was gone, the Death Eaters were in Azkaban, and he wouldn't have to see Professor Snape anymore after this year was over. So Harry couldn't help but have a Love-Hate relationship towards returning to Hogwarts.  
  
He was currently staying at the Burrow, the Weasley's kindly taking him in for the last month of summer vacation, as they always did. He was currently outside with Fred, George, Ron and Bill, playing Quidditch, Harry's favorite past time. Fred and George's business was booming, literally. It seemed the two were moving to a larger establishment in Diagon Alley. Bill, who had moved back to the Burrow as well, was working closer to home at Gringott's, only taking jobs that were in England. But he still chose to ignore his Mother's requests to cut his hair, and let it grow till his waist, adorning it with different beads he had gotten on previous missions to many places around the world. And then there was Ron, who had remained the same as always, with shaggy red hair, his knitted maroon sweaters, and his continual growth spurts. But Ron was not the only one who was growing, Harry took great pleasure in comparing his height to Bill, the top of his head reaching the top of Bill's shoulder's.  
  
He was brought back to the game at hand when a stray Bludger nailed him in the head. It didn't hurt really, since the bludgers they were using were actually bewitched, round pillows.  
  
"Come on Harry, pay attention! We're losing in case you haven't noticed." yelled Ron, flying up next to Harry on his Clean Sweep 6.  
  
"Sorry Ron, I just got side-tracked." smiled Harry.  
  
"Side-Tracked? Harry?" said Fred, shocked.  
  
"Harry never gets side-tracked, especially during a Quidditch game." said George, flying over as well, on his Firebolt. After their business started doing so well, Fred and George decided to treat themselves to the best broom sticks on the market.  
  
"What's on your mind Harry?" asked Bill, flying over to see what the problem was.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I just can't believe this is our last year at Hogwarts. I don't want it to end. I don't want to have to go back to the Dursley's."  
  
Ron laughed. "Come now Harry. You really don't think you're going back to the Dumb-ly's after school do you?" Dumb-ly's was the new name that Fred and George had come up with for the Dursley's and it just happened to catch on. "After Hogwarts, you'll become an Auror and I'm sure Mum will let you stay here until you get your own place to live."  
  
Harry nodded. "I guess you're right. I just can't help thinking about it. Hogwarts is my home, leaving Hogwarts is like leaving my life behind. I just don't know what I'll do."  
  
"Now's not the time to worry about those things Harry. What you need to worry about is the N.E.W.T.'s tests." Said Bill, slapping Harry on the back.  
  
Harry nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I suddenly started thinking of all of this now."  
  
"Hey look!" said ron, pointing past Harry. "It's Erol. Maybe she's got our Hogwart's letter's."  
  
Harry and the others turned towards the approaching bird. As she got closer and closer, they all noticed that it didn't look like she was going to stop. Fred only had enough time to duck, but George was not so lucky. George caught a face full of Erol and was nearly knocked off his broom. He would have surely fallen if it weren't for Bill holding onto the back of his shirt.  
  
Ron sighed. "I think we should put the bloody bird out of her misery and get a new one."  
  
Erol, as if understanding what Ron had just said, hooted angrily and dropped the letter she was carrying onto George's lap. She flew at Ron and tried to peck at him before setting off for the Burrow. Harry and the others landed soon after Erol's departure and opened the letter from Hogwart's. Harry read his letter and noticed that there were books mentioned for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.  
  
"Hang on." said Harry. "Does this mean I'm not teaching DADA anymore?" he asked.  
  
Ron shrugged. "Maybe. I guess Dumbledore wants you concentrating more on the N.E.W.T.'s instead of teaching the Defense class."  
  
During the sixth year at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore asked Harry if he wouldn't mind teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. He enjoyed it immensely, but it did take a lot out of him. A part of him was relieved, but another part of him was worried. They had gone through so many different Professors', he was afraid at what Hogwarts would turn up with next.  
  
"Well let's go see if Dad is home, maybe he'll know something about this new Professor." said Ron as he pocketed his list of supplies. The small group made their way back to the Burrow, and as soon as they entered they were assaulted by Ginny, who was asking for her letter as well. After Ron handed her the letter, a cracking noise echo in the Burrow.  
  
"Dad's home!" called Fred from the living room. Harry and Ron quickly made their way into the living room and instantly battered Mr. Weasely with questions.  
  
"We have a new Defense Professor, do you know who it is?" asked Ron.  
  
"When are we going to find out who he is?" asked Harry.  
  
"How was work Dad?" asked Bill.  
  
"Hey Dad? You wanna try out our new style of Fizz bombs! More Fizz with every bite!' asked Fred.  
  
Before they could get any farther in their questions, Arthur held up a hand. "I really don't know who your new Professor is. No one does. Dumbledore has been keeping it real hush hush. Work was inspiring as always, and no Fred, maybe I'll try them later. Right now, all I want is some dinner and my comfy chair with the Daily Prophet."  
  
"That means it could be anyone!" said Ron. "I hope he's good."  
  
"What if it's someone inside Hogwarts? Someone we already know?" asked Harry. Bill walked with Arthur to the kitchen while Fred and George walked up to their room.  
  
Ron's eyes widened. "What if it's Snape!?"  
  
Harry didn't even want to humor the thought and looked back down at his list of books. "I hope not."  
  
**********  
  
Severus sat in his office, staring into his pensieve. He never liked dwelling on the past, but something that Dumbledore had told him earlier that day left him completely stumped. Once he discovered there was yet another new Defense teacher, he went to Dumbledore's office and demanded to know who it was. Dumbledore wouldn't say much, but the twinkle in his eye spoke volumes. All that Dumbledore told him was that friends from the past would come out of hiding to see him once more. So here he sat in front of his Pensieve, trying to discover what it was that Dumbledore was blabbering about.  
  
He soon discovered that he never had many friends, except for Lucius Malfoy, but he highly doubted that Dumbledore would allow him to teach at Hogwarts. Then there were parts of his past that he wouldn't even dare dwell upon any longer than need be. After searching around for hours on end, he still couldn't figure out who this new Professor was. He began idly tapping the top of the Pensieve and allowed memories to bubble up before him before tapping the top of the small memory pool once more. Finally, the memory he hated the most appeared before him. The time when Potter and Black practically tortured him in front of Hogwarts castle, and in front of everyone on the grounds. He slammed his wand into the liquid, spraying most of it across his desk before it slowly slithered its way back to the pensieve and into the pool once more.  
  
Severus quickly picked up the pensieve and put it away, not wanting to dwell on his memories anymore. But they weren't finished with him. He remembered the time he came back to his office after helping Professor Umbridge with a meaningless matter and found his office empty. When he walked close to his Pensieve, he saw Harry Potter in the middle of his worst memory and quickly dived in after him before he would see to much. But by the time he reached Harry, he had already seen to much, including when James and Sirius turned him upside down, showing off his underwear and skinny legs to the world. When he grab onto Harry's arm, the boy looked terrified, but he didn't see any signs of laughter or mirth that he expected to find on his face. But he didn't care. The boy saw too much. Once they were back in his office and he threw Harry (literally) out of his office, he sank into his chair and heaved a sigh of relief. Of course he was still angry that Harry saw bits of his past, but at least he hadn't seen what happened afterward. At least he hadn't seen when he met her. Severus shook his head angrily and stood. Dinner would be starting soon. 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to Rosemary the Rubix Cube who reviewed my story!

Please R&R. It encourages me to write more! Thanks!

Chapter Two  
  
The last remaining month of vacation flew by as fast as the summer weather, a little too fast for Harry and Ron. Hermoine came at the last week of vacation and they all traveled to Diagon Alley together to get their supplies. Harry and Ron had been looking forward to seeing Hermoine. Since she was always a booth of information, they were hoping she would know something about their new teacher.  
  
"You mean it's not you?" she asked Harry questionably.  
  
"No. We were kinda hoping you would know who it is?" asked Harry.  
  
"Well I'm as stumped as you are. Maybe it's Snape." she had said. Harry still cringed as he thought about the prospect that Snape would be the new Professor. It was bad enough that he got an Outstanding in Potions and had to take another two years with Snape, but to have him for Defense would just be too much. He began to think on past events and what would make Dumbledore punish him so. As everyone piled into the car the ministry had sent, Harry tried to figure out if there was a way he could hide in the car so that he didn't have to go to Hogwarts, but after a span of fourteen minutes and thirty-six seconds, he found himself sitting on the Hogwarts train, waving goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Fred and George. Hermoine and Ron were still Prefects and had their duties to uphold, so Harry was left in his small compartment alone. After a short while, Neville Longbottom had joined him, and shortly after that, Ron and Hermoine had returned.  
  
"We looked on the entire train, Harry, and there is no Professor on board." said Hermoine as she sat down in the seat next to him.  
  
"That's why I think it's another student!" said Ron. "Maybe Dumbledore didn't like the way you taught class. Or maybe he wants to give someone else a chance."  
  
"I highly doubt that Ron." said Hermoine, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Well, maybe the Professor is already there." said Harry, glancing out the window.  
  
"The Professor? You mean you're not teaching Defense class anymore?" asked Neville, who wasn't paying much attention to their conversation.  
  
Harry shook is head and Neville sighed, "I hope it's not Professor Snape."  
  
Harry moaned and continued to stare out the window. Why does everyone think its Snape? He thought.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (--- no it doesn't mean you're hitting an x-rated spot)

Once they had arrived at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and Hermoine all kept their eyes peeled for the new Professor. But they couldn't find him anywhere. There was definitely a seat between Dumbledore and Snape that was left open, but there was no trace of the Professor anywhere. Everyone was at their house tables, waiting for the first years to arrive so they could start dinner. But they didn't have to wait long as the doors opened and Professor McGonagall led in a group of first years that all looked scared and nervous. After the Sorting Hat sung it's song, and sorted all the first years, Professor Dumbledore stood.  
  
"I only have a few announcements to make. The rest can wait till after dinner. The Forbidden forest is strictly forbidden, as is the third floor. And Mr. Filch has informed me of new additions to his list of spells and toys that are not allowed in the hallways during and in-between classes. Now, Tuck in."  
  
Then the tables were suddenly filled with food and everyone started eating. But it didn't take long till everyone noticed the empty seat between Dumbledore and Snape and questions were erupting throughout the Hall.  
  
"So who's sitting in the empty seat at the staff table?"  
  
"Did they lay off one of the teachers?"  
  
"No, that's the seat for the new Defense teacher."  
  
"Does anyone know who the teacher is?"  
  
"No one knows. It's a mystery to all of us."  
  
Harry listened to everyone talk and looked up at the staff table once more, and spotted Hagrid sitting at the end of the table. Hagrid smiled and winked at him and Harry smiled back. Harry then pointed to the empty chair at the staff table. Hagrid looked down the table, then back at Harry and shrugged, before he continued eating. Harry sighed and turned back to Ron and Hermoine.  
  
"Well, Hagrid doesn't know what's going on either."  
  
Ron smirked, "Well that's no surprise."  
  
"Malfoy doesn't know either." stated Hermoine, and sure enough, when Harry turned to glance at the Slytherin table, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were in a heated discussion with a few other Slytherins, each glancing at the empty seat now and then.  
  
Everyone waited patiently until the staff had finished eating and the food had disappeared and the plates were left spotless as always. Dumbledore stood once more and the room fell silent instantly.  
  
"I know that many of you are wondering about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but she has sent me a letter stating that she's running a little late, and won't arrive till much later tonight. So, we should all get a good nights rest, and you can all meet her tomorrow."  
  
Everyone slowly got up, some still muttering under their breath's about the new Professor being another woman, others mentioning that they were going to stay awake until the new teacher arrived. Harry thought it best to join Seamus and Dean, who were discussing on sitting by the Gryffindor common room window and waiting for the Professor to arrive.

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"So, the new Professor is a woman?" asked Professor McGonagall as the staff rose to depart to their rooms.  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, and I think she will be a very good teacher."  
  
Severus tried to act like he didn't care, but he couldn't help but want to know who this woman was. A woman from his past.  
  
Severus stood quickly and made his way to his office before going to bed. He had to finish his preparations for class the next day. He wasn't looking forward to the next day, he wasn't looking forward to seeing Harry Potter, and truthfully, he wasn't looking forward to finding out who the new Professor was. Sure, he was curious, as was everyone, but he was afraid that memories he had kept hidden for so long would come to the front in full force.

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Harry felt his body jerk as he was roughly shaken.  
  
"Harry, wake up! That Professor is here! You have to see it!" whispered Ron hurriedly. Harry was awake instantly and groped around the nearby table for his glasses. Both themselves, and Hermoine had all stayed in the common room with Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, both seventh years in Gryffindor, to await the arrival of the new Professor. Harry hurried towards the window that was currently occupied by Dean, Seamus and Hermoine, and tried to peer over their heads. There, near the gate leading to Hogwarts, was a cloaked figure atop a black horse. But there was something horse about the horse.  
  
"She's riding a unicorn!" said Dean excitedly.  
  
"But why is it black?" asked Hermoine.  
  
But no one seemed to care about the color of the unicorn. They were more interested in the rider. Something under the woman's hood glimmered in the moonlight, like some sort of metal. The cloaked figure rode onward a few more paces before she and her horse were obstructed from view.  
  
"I wonder what she looks like," said Dean.  
  
"I hope she's pretty. It'll be nice to have a looker for a Professor instead of all the old ones we've been getting." said Seamus, as he and Dean headed up to their room to sleep, still discussing what the Professor my look like. Harry sat in the common room waiting until he heard their door close before he looked at Ron and Hermoine.  
  
"How about we get a closer look?"

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Harry, Ron and Hermoine slowly made their way out of the portrait hole, all cramped together under the Invisibility cloak. It was a little more difficult than when they were younger, seeing as they were all considerably taller. When they finally reached the entrance all, they saw Professor Dumbledore, and all the other Professors there to greet the new comer, except Professor Snape. The three stood near a statue of armor and remained as quiet as possible.  
  
"I am glad to see that you have made it here safely, Petra." said Dumbledore, taking the hand of the cloaked woman.  
  
"Thank you," she said, "It was a rough journey for awhile, but at least I've made it in time for class tomorrow."  
  
Dumbledore smiled, "Yes, well, these are some of the other Professors." and Dumbledore set out to introduce Petra to everyone, forgetting (or not planning) to mention the absence of Snape. Petra reached towards the hood of her cloak and slowly pulled it back, revealing her face.  
  
"A pleasure to meet you all," she said, smiling, but nor Harry, Ron, or Hermoine could see her smile. In fact, no one could. Just the slightest squinting of her eyes showed that she was smiling. Harry now realized the metal that he saw glinting under the hood was from the silver mask that Petra wore over the lower half of her face. The mask rose across the bridge of her nose, covering all the way to her chin, and sank below her ears and connected at the back of her head. She had long white hair that was kept in a braid and disappeared into the hood of her cloak. Her hair was parted on the side, so most of her hair hung in front of her right eye, while the left sparkled in the candlelight. Hermoine gasped, slapping her hand over her face and Harry looked to see what was wrong. When Harry noticed that she was staring at Petra's face, Harry turned back to the woman for further examination and realized what Hermoine was so shocked about. When Petra turned to address Professor Sprout, he noticed that her left eye was blood red. Harry shuddered slightly, remembering the only time he had seen eyes that red was when he was looking into the eyes of Voldermort.  
  
"Well, let me take you to your room. I'm sure you're exhausted and you should get some rest before your class tomorrow." said Dumbeldore.  
  
Petra nodded, "That would be wonderful." and Dumbledore led her away from the other Professor's towards her room. Harry, Ron and Hermoine waited until all the other Professors walked back to their own rooms, before they made their way back to the tower.  
  
"Did you see the color of her eyes?" asked Hermoine.  
  
"What eyes? I only saw one. Besides I was more entranced by her appearance!" said Ron dreamily.  
  
"They looked like the eyes of Voldermort." said Hermoine exasperatedly.  
  
"There's no way she could be Voldermort. Voldermort's dead! Besides, I think she's way to pretty to be Voldermort." said Ron dreamily. Hermoine huffed irritably.  
  
Harry was unusually quiet but Ron and Hermoine didn't seem to notice, as they were engrossed in there own conversation. Harry really wasn't sure he was as excited to go to class the next day anymore.  
  
At breakfast the next morning, many were disappointed to see that the new Professor was not with the rest of the staff. But something that stunned Harry, Ron and Hermoine, was that the students weren't the only ones who looked disappointed. Snape kept glancing around the hall and would then look at the empty chair next to himself and then would resign himself to eating breakfast, only making small chit-chat with Madam Hooch who was sitting next to him.  
  
"Well, what's your schedule Harry?" asked Ron.  
  
Harry pulled out his list. "First, it's History with Professor Binns, then Herbology with Professor Sprout, then a double Potions with Professor Snape and then Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Petra."  
  
Ron smiled brightly; obviously they had the same schedule. As soon as they finished breakfast, they all left and walked back to their tower before heading off to their first class.

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Snape sat through the Potions class, doing his usual duties to make Harry absolutely miserable. Not only did he have to deal with Harry's presence, but he had the privilege of have Neville Longbottom in his class as well. Apparently, all the times that Hermoine Granger whispered tips to him, ended up gaining him an 'O' in his O.W.L.'s exams. Snape made sure to keep all of the Gryffindor students separated so that they could not help one another, and all of his Slytherin students took it upon themselves to torture them while Snape was busy with Harry. The only thing that kept him going was the fact that he was going to walk his Slytherin students to their Defense class so that he could get a closer look at the new Professor. Keeping himself as segregated as possible, kept him from knowing exactly who the Professor was. And his usual students he spoke to to get information, weren't speaking to him anymore, after he helped Dumbledore send all their father's to Azkaban. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle never went a day without giving him the worst possible glare they could muster, but he never minded, he was used to those kinds of looks.  
  
Once the bell rang to dismiss class, he ordered everyone to bring him a sample of their potions before they could leave. Once he had all the potions, he followed the rest of the class out of his room and towards the Defense classroom. All of the students walked into the classroom and took their seats, talking animatedly with each other before the bell rang once more to signal the start of class. Snape stood in the back of the room, near a corner slightly concealed in shadows, not knowing for sure if he wanted to be seen or not. The door, leading to Professor Petra's office opened and she descended the stairs nearby and stood at the front of the class.  
  
"Good morning everyone." she said brightly. "My name is Petra Flewing. But you may all call me Professor Petra."  
  
Snape stared at Petra, his mouth slightly ajar in shock. He couldn't believe that she was here. The one person in his life who treated him like an equal, like a true friend. The one person he allowed himself to smile for, the one person he allowed himself to love, the one person, whom he felt, took that love and walked all over it. And after looking at the young woman she had turned into now, he wasn't quite sure it was such a smart idea to follow everyone to her class. 

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Thanks for reading! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to Rosemary, who continues to review my story.

AI: Don't worry, I know the usual stereotype of story, so just to relieve everyone's worries {Or lack there of}, Petra is in no way, shape, or form, related to Voldemort. I've realized that that angle is SERIOUSLY over-used. But if you want to know the whole story behind the new Prof, you're just going to have to read my story............ then review............ please............. :D

* * *

Chapter Three  
  
"Good morning Professor Petra." everyone said at different intervals, none of them really enthusiastic about the good morning at all.  
  
Petra seemed to find this funny, she laughed slightly. "Oh, you all needn't worry about such formalities in here. In fact, if no one minds, I'd like to learn all of your names. Your first names, that is. I feel that we are on better terms with each other that way."  
  
Everyone seemed to be in a state of shock, since they had all been used to being referred to as Mr. and Miss. And that was how the class started. They spent the first ten minutes telling Petra their first names and she gave them all her full attention, making sure she got everyone's name and enunciated them correctly. Harry and Ron noted that her hair, that was braided and fell into the hood of her cloak the night before, was still braided, but went all the way to the floor, at least two feet of it resting on the ground behind her. She wore a long black dress that hung off of her shoulders. The sleeves were attached to the dress by two small clasps on each arm. The dress itself, had a split that started in the middle, near the waist and was left open, revealing that she also wore pants underneath with tall, black leather boots, allowing the dress to flow behind her like a cape. Once Professor Petra was positive that she had learned everyone's names, she turned to the blackboard and tapped it with her wand.  
  
"So, I understand that you have all had a variety of different Professors, one of them being in this class right now." she said, smiling at Harry. Even though Harry was still not quite sure if he liked or trusted the new Professor, he could feel her growing on him with every passing moment.  
  
"And because you all have had so many teachers, we will spend the first week and a half purely on review." she said, motioning to the blackboard behind her which named many animals such as boggarts, grindylows, and many different types of curses. "So," she said, tapping the blackboard once more and all the words disappeared. "Lets all stand up and we'll go outside and practice."  
  
Everyone looked around at each other, as if they had never heard the phrase, 'go outside'. Petra, who was already making her way to the door turned slightly.  
  
"Well, what's the matter with all of you? I said we're going outside. GOING...OUTSIDE!" when no one moved, she sighed. "Oh alright. I thought it would be fun to go outside and get some fresh air. BUT, if you all want to stay in here..." suddenly it was like a tidal wave. Students all around the room stood in such a rush, papers, books and quills went flying.  
  
Snape figured that now or never was the best time to get out of the classroom. He quickly made his way to the door, freedom within his grasp, before a quiet voice that seemed to echo throughout the boisterous room stopped him.  
  
"S-Severus?"  
  
For a few moments, no one moved. Snape fixed the most coldest, blankest look on his face that he could muster before turning to face Petra. "Good evening, Professor Petra." If it weren't for the mask keeping most of her face hidden, he would have guessed her face would be showing complete shock. But her eyes spoke much more than any others he had ever seen. In her eyes, he saw shock, confusion, and something he could never stand seeing in her eyes. Sadness. He couldn't bear to look into those eyes and see such raw emotion. He quickly turned away.  
  
"I just came to make sure my class had made it here on time." he said, without any sign of life in his voice.  
  
Petra gave a small nod, afraid that any sudden movement would make him run. "Yes, they were all here on time. Severus, I..."  
  
"Good. That is all then." And before Petra could stop him, he was gone. No one moved until Hermoine quietly cleared her throat. Petra blinked and looked around, before her eyes crinkled into a smile that must have been forced.  
  
"Well, come on! Time's a wasting. Let's get outside and work on some defense spells."

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As soon as Snape was safe in the security of his office, he slammed his door shut and locked it, as if he was expecting Petra to follow him and demand to speak with him. But he wouldn't be speaking to her. Not now, not anytime soon. He slowly walked to his desk and leaned against it, as if every last ounce of his strength had been drained from his body. He slowly sat in his chair, closing his eyes and rubbing at his temples, trying to soothe the dull ache that had started the moment he saw Petra. When he opened his eyes once more, he was staring at the Pensieve he kept on the top shelf near his desk. He stood and picked up the Pensieve, placing it on his desk.  
  
_Petra never did like these things_, he thought. _She always said 'people never use Pensieves because they are afraid they'll forget something, they use them because they want to forget something.'_ He sat back in his chair, staring at the large, stone bowl, remembering some of the better times with Petra. _No, no, no, NO! I shouldn't be feeling this way! She wronged me! She used me!_ He could feel himself moving forward in his chair, leaning closer and closer to the Pensieve. _I should hate her with every fiber of my being! She's the reason I became a DeathEater!_  
  
Before he knew what was happening, Snape found himself touching the top of the shimmering liquid inside the Pensieve with the tip of his wand and images began to form on the glassy surface.

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"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?" asked James as he stood in front of Severus, who was once again hanging upside down in the air. Cheers erupted from all around the schoolyard and Severus vainly tried to push his robes out of his face and saw James still pointing his wand at him, smirking. Severus continued to struggle, not allowing himself to be made fun off. Just as James raised his wand to cast the final blow to his undergarments, a blast of purple light slammed into James' right shoulder and sent him flying towards a group of students nearby. Severus barely had enough time to shield his head with his arms as he fell once more to the ground. He quickly sat up and shoved his robes back over his legs. He heard Sirius running towards James to see if he was all right and quickly looked around to see who it was that put an end to James' escapade. Standing nearby, was a young witch with long, waist length white hair, kept in a ponytail, and bright, sparkling blue eyes. Her robes bore the crest of Gryffindor, and a gold badge pinned below it showed that she was a prefect.  
  
"What'd you do that for, Petra?" moaned James as Sirius helped him up.  
  
"Because you were acting like an git, and SOMEBODY had to take charge." she said as she glanced at Lupin, who tried burying himself more into his book.  
  
"Come on Petra, it was just a bit of fun!" said Sirius, folding his arms over his chest.  
  
"Yes, well one more attempt at your versions of 'fun' and I'll report you. And believe me Potter, I've seen your student file. McGonagall's been threatening that if you even breath out of line, she's going to expel you."  
  
James waved his arm around dismissively. "Yeah, alright Petra, you made your point. Besides, its no fun picking on old Snivellus who needs girls to protect him." said James as he and Sirius walked back over to the tree that Lupin and Peter were sitting under.  
  
Severus felt a presence settle on the ground beside him and knew it had to be the girl who stopped James and Sirius. He didn't even want to look at her. He hated her for making him look weak, and he hated himself for not fighting back hard enough.  
  
"Are you alright? I'm really sorry about those two." said Petra, helping Severus collect some of his fallen exam papers.  
  
"Don't you think you've done enough?" snapped Severus. "Just leave me alone."  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset. I just wanted to help you." she said, handing him his papers.  
  
Severus nearly tore the papers as he ripped them from Petra's hand. "Well I had everything under control! I didn't need your help!"  
  
"Oh yes, I could see you were ready to knock them out from your position." said Petra, smiling slightly. "Look, I just wanted to help you out. No one should be treated like that, no matter who they are."  
  
"Well then, let it be known that you performed your mercy mission for the day." said Severus in a dark tone. He stood and Petra followed suite. Severus was just about to turn to leave when he noticed that Petra was staring at him. He gave her a deadly glare, but she never even blinked.  
  
"You don't have many friends, do you?" she asked. Severus was a little taken back by the question. He was expecting her to say that he was cruel, that he belonged in the Slytherin house, but he never imagined her to ask such a simple and idiotic question.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked.  
  
"Well, I noticed that there are as many Slytherin's out here as there are Gryffindor's, and not a single one came over to help you." she almost looked sad when she said this.  
  
"I don't need friends." said Severus coldly.  
  
"Yes you do!" she said.  
  
"I've done fine on my own." said Severus, beyond the point of losing his patience with her.  
  
"Yes, I can see that." she said as a few students in Ravenclaw walked by, still snickering at Severus. "Everyone needs friends. In fact, I'm going to be your new friend!" she said happily.  
  
Severus rolled his eyes and turned away, walking back towards Hogwarts. "You're just wasting your breath. I don't need any friends."

xxxxxxxxxx  
  
Severus never knew how many classes he had with Petra, but after she had dubbed herself his new 'friend', he realized that she was everywhere. She always sat behind him in Potions, she was two rows away in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, she sat in front of him in Charms, and she stood next to him in Herbology. He tried ignoring her, he tried being overly rude to her, but nothing seemed to damper her spirits. But Severus had to admit that having Petra around did have its advantages. James and Sirius hadn't bothered him, not once. One day, as he was in the library, he thought that they were going to finally have there way with him, but Petra 'just happened' to walk by and the two retreated. After a solid month of her presence and her cheerful disposition, he finally cornered her in one of the many hallways and asked her what she really wanted.  
  
"I just want to be your friend." she said.  
  
Severus sighed, feeling defeat drawing near. "Why?"  
  
Petra laughed, "I already told you, because you need a friend! Man I thought you were more on the ball with it, but I guess it just takes a while to sink in."  
  
"Fine!" Severus yelled. "If I let you be my friend will you leave me alone!"  
  
Petra smiled, "To a certain extent." She held out her hand. "Lets shake on it."  
  
Severus sighed and resigned to his fate and shook her hand. He felt his hand being jerked and felt his body falling towards Petra. He only had enough time to take a quick step forward so as not to completely fall on top of her, but he might as well as fallen, because the next thing he knew, he felt a kiss pressed to his cheek. He stood in complete shock as Petra took a step back, still smiling at him.  
  
"I'll see you later Severus." she said as she walked off down the hallway towards her next class, waving.

xxxxxxxxxx  
  
Severus stood quickly, stepping away from the Pensieve, his heart beating rapidly. He looked around his office quickly and swore. _Where's a window when you need one_, he thought. He needed some fresh air, but there was no point now. He was going to have his last class soon. He put the Pensieve back on its shelf and pushed his hair from his face, trying to make some order of his disheveled appearance. Once he was satisfied, he left his office and went straight to his classroom. Everything seemed to be going fine until he remembered that he would have to sit by Petra during dinner. If it was possible, his mood got darker.

xxxxxxxxxx  
  
Once Defense class was over, Harry, Ron and Hermoine walked back to Hogwarts and towards their tower.  
  
"Man, that class was awesome!" said Ron. "I never got to curse Malfoy so many times in my life!"  
  
Harry smiled. "Yeah, it was fun. And the best part, no homework!"  
  
Hermoine almost looked disappointed. "I wish that she had at least given us SOMETHING to do. I'm going to be done with all my homework in an hour, what am I supposed to do for the rest of the night."  
  
Ron rolled his eyes, "Come on Hermoine, live a little. You can relax, have fun!"  
  
Hermoine sighed, "Yeah I guess. Besides we should talk about what happened earlier."  
  
"What exactly are you talking about, Hermoine?" asked Harry.  
  
"You know, when we were leaving and Professor Snape was there. I think that Professor Petra and Professor Snape know each other. What if she was a death-eater too?"  
  
"No way!" said Ron. "She's to beautiful to be a death-eater."  
  
"Looks aren't everything Ron!" said Hermoine hotly.  
  
"Yes, you would know, wouldn't you." replied Ron. Hermoine's glare intensified and she huffed off to the common room.  
  
"Nice one Ron." said Harry exasperatedly.  
  
Ron sighed and the two made their way to the common room alone.

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I hope you all enjoyed it. Please R&R! It keeps me going! 


	4. Chapter 4

A.I.: Thanks to Rosemary who continually reviews my stories. Thanks for pointing out the trouser bit, to me, trousers sounds like underwear, so I didn't know which to put and just settled with pants.

Please R&R! PLEASE!!!!!!!! I'm starving for attention! tries to look humble

* * *

Chapter Four  
  
When the dinner bell rang, the three walked to the Great Hall and sat at their family table. Ron was already busy shoving food onto his plate while Harry and Hermoine were watching the staff table. Once again, Professor Petra's seat was vacant, but a goblet was set in her place.  
  
"Hey, that reminds me, how do you suppose Professor Petra eats? I mean, does she ever take the mask off?" asked Ron through a mouthful of shepard's pie.  
  
"Ron please, close your mouth." said Hermione, grimacing at the disgusting view of the half masticated pie.  
  
"Maybe it's a privacy thing. Maybe she has a big, ugly scar on her face." said Harry, drawing his knife across his left cheek.  
  
"No! She can't have a scar under that mask! She's too pretty!" said Ron after swallowing his mouthful of pie.  
  
"Oh Ron, get off of your love cloud and just look at the big picture. She knows Professor Snape, she wears a mask, and she has red eyes!" said Hermione, getting tired of constantly hearing how beautiful Petra is.  
  
"So, what's your point?" asked Ron.  
  
"My point is, that she must be a 'Death-Eater'."  
  
"And you must be mad! There is no way that Professor Dumbledore would allow a death-eater to teach here!"  
  
"He let that Moody impersonator teach here!"  
  
"Well that's different! He didn't know about him being a death- eater."  
  
"Then maybe he doesn't know about Professor Petra either."  
  
"I don't think she's a death-eater," said Harry finally. "I mean, Professor Dumbledore seemed to know who she was when she arrived last night. I'm sure he trusts her."  
  
"That ol' coot trusts everyone." said Ron smirking to himself.  
  
"Well, I'm going to ask about it in class tomorrow." said Hermione as she resumed picking at her food. Hushed whispers soon erupted around them and Harry was able to catch a little was Dean was saying.  
  
"Look, there she is! I thought she wasn't going to show up for any meals."  
  
Harry looked towards the staff table, and sure enough, Petra was walking behind the table to her seat between Dumbledore and Snape. Once Petra was seated, Dumbledore began chatting with her. Snape only stayed to finish the rest of his meal before he quickly stood and left, Petra watching him the entire way.  
  
"Professor Snape seems to hate her." said Ron.  
  
"Well, that's normal." said Hermione, watching the scene closely. "Professor Snape hates everyone who gets the Defense position instead of him. But you are right Ron, there is more hatred there than usual."  
  
Harry sighed and stood. "Well, I'm off to the common room. I want to finish all my homework so I can relax before I go to bed."  
  
Hermione nodded and stood as well. "That's right, we also have N.E.W.T.'s to study for."  
  
Ron groaned and grabbed some Treacle Fudge to take with him.

xxxxxxxxxx  
  
The next day in Potions, Hermione tried getting some information from Professor Snape about Petra, and was literally thrown from the room, with house points from Gryffindor following her.  
  
"I think you deserved it, Hermione." said Ron, still smirking. "You should have known better than to get information from Snape."  
  
"Well he didn't have to throw me!" said Hermione crossly, still rubbing her backside. "Hopefully Professor Petra will be a little nicer about it."  
  
The three walked to Defense class and sat at their desks. Once everyone was seated, Petra stepped out of her office and descended the stairway to stand by her desk.  
  
"Is everyone here?" she asked. She looked around the classroom and once was satisfied that everyone was there, she turned back to her desk where a wooden crate sat, shaking every now and then.  
  
"Today, we'll be reviewing boggarts, so if everyone will... yes, Hermione?" asked Petra when she noticed that Hermione's hand instantly shot into the air.  
  
"Professor Petra, we were wondering if you would tell us why you wear that mask?" she asked.  
  
Petra sighed and sat on the edge of her desk. "I knew it would be only a matter of time before someone asked about this thing." she said as she tapped the side of her mask. Everyone was staring intently at Petra, waiting in silence for the explanation.  
  
"I believe I know why you wear it." said Hermione. Now everyone was staring at Hermione, nearly starving for any information they could get.  
  
"Really? Why is that?" said Petra, looking intrigued by whatever explanation Hermione could think up.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't want to embarrass you or spread any nasty rumors." said Hermione.  
  
"No please, humor me. Tell me why you think I wear this mask."  
  
"Well...because...because you're a death-eater."  
  
Everyone in the classroom went wide-eyed, except for Harry, Ron, and Hermione who were all waiting for Petra's answer. What they never expected was for Petra to burst into hysterical laughter. The creature in the box who was moving around earlier, was now completely silent. Petra continued to laugh, and through her laughter was able to say, "My dear Hermione, that's just...just ridiculous."1  
  
There was suddenly a cracking pop kind of noise and smoke seeped out of the holes in the crate. Petra looked at the crate. "Oh no! It already disappeared." she said as she opened the crate and held out her hand. Soon a small ghost like shape with one leg and a lantern sat on her hand before it completely disappeared into wisps of smoke. "Oh well, I guess we'll have to work on boggarts another time." She turned back to the class and saw that none of them were laughing, or looking amused in the slightest.  
  
"If you're a death-eater, then why aren't you Azkaban?" asked Draco.  
  
"It's because I am not a death-eater." said Petra.  
  
"But your eyes are red, like Voldemorts." said Harry, a few people still shook at the sound of his name.  
  
"So then, everyone with red eyes must be a descendant of Voldemort? Or a death-eater at least?" asked Petra, looking slightly amused.  
  
"Well, no, not exactly." said Harry. "But you have to admit it is an odd coincidence."  
  
Petra seemed to ponder the thought for a few minutes before she nodded. "Yes, I guess you're right, it is a strange coincidence. But I can assure all of you I am no descendant of Voldemort, nor am I a death-eater."  
  
"Then why do you wear the mask?" asked Hermione once more.  
  
Petra sat on the desk quietly, seeming to wonder which answer to give them. After a few moments of silence, she finally decided to tell the truth. "It's because I'm cursed."  
  
"Then how do you explain the red eyes?" asked Harry.  
  
"Tell me Harry, when you saw the memory of Tom Riddle in your second year, what color of eyes did he have?" she asked.  
  
"Blue, I think."  
  
Petra nodded. "People's eyes turn different colors when they are heavily cursed. Like Voldemort, who drank Unicorn' blood, used the unforgivable curses, practiced his magic for nothing but evil, and did everything he could to defy his own death, his eyes turned red from all the curses that are put upon one for doing such things."  
  
"So then what did you do to require your red eyes?" asked Hermione.  
  
Just then, the bell rang and Petra's eyes crinkled into that of a smile. "That'll have to wait for another class time. I will see you all later then."  
  
The class stood and exited the defense room. Once they were in the hallway, they all erupted into deep discussions. Hermione sighed.  
  
"If we only had thirty more seconds, she would have told us what she did!"  
  
"It must have been something really bad! I mean, neither Voldemort or any of his death-eaters wore masks like that." said Ron.  
  
"But neither Voldemort, nor his death-eaters got caught until the war was over, and the death-eaters were sent straight to Azkaban. She isn't in Azkaban, so it couldn't have been THAT bad." said Harry, as they climbed the stairway to their common room.

xxxxxxxxxx  
  
Petra gazed out of the only window in her office, her thoughts still tumbling around over her last class. Merlin must have been smiling down on me at that moment. She thought to herself. I don't think I could have come up with a lie fast enough to answer why I wear this thing. As her mind continued to wander, she began to think about one man in particular. The man whom she wanted to talk to, the man whom she wanted to understand why she did what she had to do, the one man whom she feared would never feel the same way for her ever again. She began to reflect on her memories from the past, and closed her eyes.

* * *

1. I just think the spell sounds so much like the original word, that I just used it anyway. I thought it was funny!


End file.
